A Deadly Decision, A Naruto FanFic
by Xhin
Summary: The beginning chapter of a Naruto Fanfic. This was originally made for a contest.
1. Chapter 1, Accused

Naruto, The Art of Betrayal.

Sometime after Jiraiya's death, and the encounter between the last standing Uchihas, the Village of Konoha returns to a time of peace. The air seemed fresh, and woodland creatures began to visit this once high and mighty village as they once did. The village of the leaf returns to its high point above all other villages, but with the loss of so many lives... It returns with broken spirits, and empty vessels.

Clouds soared above this village, much like they did before the time of war. Shinobi and villagers alike carried on with meaningless words of greeting and conversation with each other. Fake smiles lay embedded into their face, as if only happiness filled their tormented souls. They could only wish that things were as they appeared. They could only hope that soon their pain would heal. So many loved ones were lost. The village was filled with unfamiliar faces, and soundless introductions.

Tsunade thought this as she stared upon the village of Konoha beneath her. Her mind ravaged over and over on her own failures and regrets. No one remained that really loved her for who she was. To everyone in the village, she was simply seen as 'Hokage-sama'. The leader of the village. It was as if no love was left for her, none was given, and none was recieved, not since Jiraiya's death.

--

"MORNING!" Naruto laughed playfully as the guard at the gate entrance jumped in surprised. He rubbed his head annoyingly, and returned Naruto's awaking greeting with a small wave and smile. "Naruto... hm..." The guard thought for a moment, until he witnessed the other members of Naruto's arsenal walk through slowly as well. The guard jumped up in salute. "Oh, Naruto! Kakashi-sempai! Everyone! You guys finally made it back!" Small laughs eroded from the group. Even Hinata stood behind with a small smile. Naruto nodded quickly and hopped passed the guard.

"Yeah yeah, of course we made it back! What'd you expect-Dattebayou!?" Naruto remarked as he walked in toward the village. The air was alive and fresh, he could smell the sense of peace and tranquility. The sense of new hope for the future, and relinquished bonds from the past. Naruto smiled.

"Alright, come on. We need to see the Hokage soon..." Kakashi sighed. As he had guessed, Naruto was just as excited and rambunctious as the old days. He could hardly take any more of it. Baby-sitting was hard enough when they were just kids...

"Awe, come on Kakashi sensei, don't be such a downer." Sakura laughed.

"Hey Kakaaashiiii," Naruto slid close to his sensei and revealed a small book entitled "Icha Icha Paradise". Kakashi's eye followed it silently. "Pervy sage isn't around anymore, but in his memory, I promised to continue writing what he started... It's just as good, and it's the new edition you know!"

Kakashi soon snatched the book and leapt off into the tree tops, leaving the genin to themselves. Naruto turned to Sakura and smiled.

"Naruto, he's right you know. We should really be seeing the Hokage." She wanted to sound official, but a smile surfaced on her face all the same. Naruto nodded and soon led the way.

"I know, I just didn't want 'him' to tag along and take all the credit!"

--

"I'm sorry, the Hokage is away at the moment."

Shizune's voice could be heard from down the hall. Naruto gritted his teeth annoyingly at these words. By this time, he was looking forward to seeing Grandma Tsunade from being away for so long. Her sparkly, yet scary smile always seemed to brighten his day. Sakura laughed and thanked Shizune, soon making her way out of the hall and toward the hospital. Naruto stayed behind.

"S-shizune. If Grandma Tsunade isn't ihere/i, then where else could she be?" Shizune stuttered slightly and began avoiding eye contact. Naruto closed to gap between them and eyed her suspiciously.

"I-i'm not allowed to release that kind of information..."

He could hear it in her voice. She knew, and she would tell him with just a little interrogation. Naruto soon smiled slyfully.

--

Naruto made his way up the tower of steps exhuastingly. He couldn't tell so much if Shizune had lied about Tsunade's location, but there was only one way to find out. He soon came to a door, with a small light gleaming behind it. Naruto rushed at it with excitement, and soon threw it open.

"Grandma Tsunade!"

Naruto yelled excitedly. He soon stopped however, staring at the dreadful scene before him. "Grand-ma... Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked back at him slowly. Her face held a dead expression. He could see wrinkles lining what used to be a happy smile, or scornful sneer. She looked different, older... Tsunade's glance lowered to the floor.

"T-tsunade.. What are you doing on the roof, of the Hokage tower?" Naruto asked almost cautiously. Tsunade turned around once more to stare down at the village. Leaves filled the sky below. It seemed so alive, so vivid, and yet she was withering away. Tsunade sighed slightly.

"...Jiraiya... Was the only one who cared for me, the way I needed."

Naruto wore a slightly confused, yet serious expression. iWhy is Grandma Tsunade talking like this? Does she miss toad sage that much...?/i Naruto gave a soft smile and scratched the back of his head.

"H-he died doing his duty! He lived a good life and died a happy man. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to feel this way, right?"

Tsunade remained silent. Soon enough however, her voice came out in a rasp.

"Naruto, you manage to make everyone feel better. You manage to get everyone to believe the same thing about you. Your face, your eyes, your ambition. It drives the people you come in contact with, and makes their opinions change. You make us feel, good..."

Naruto tilted his head slightly in confusion. He hardly knew what she was talking about. He began wondering if she was drunk... Until her final words came out in what seemed like only a whisper.

"But this time... It won't work."

Naruto's eyes widened as Tsunade's body leaned forward. Her balance was soon lost, and her lack of control became relevant. She let herself fall over the edge of the building in which she ruled... With only one word filling her mind. "Lost".

Naruto ran forward desperately yelling her name. Her ears didn't regester however, and she simply stared toward the ground in which she rapidly approached. Her mind was blank, tears fell from her eyes, but she no longer felt the pain. Tsunade smiled almost sadistically.

"Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto easily leapt over the edge after her, throwing his hands together in a quick successful hand sign. The wind through his hair, blowing into his ears startled him. A fear like no other began washing over him as he waited for the jutsu to activate. It was as if his chakra didn't work, until finally.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsuuu! (Shadow clone technique)"

Several explosions of smog soon piled through the air. It formed a chain, until finally a pair of hands launched from the smoke to grab Naruto's ankles drastically. Naruto reached to his limits as he fell with Tsunade. He could just barely touch Tsunade's foot, but he could tell she was already dying. He needed to go faster, more weight, more power, more force! It was no use.

The chain of clones soon ended and Naruto's fall came to an abrubt halt. His face feircely collided into the side of the building. That however didn't stop him from glance back down at Tsunade's descending body. A small tag flickered widly in the breeze on Tsunade's ankle, before she looked up at Naruto with one final fairwell... It was an explosion tag.

A large boom rang through the village, cratering the side of the Hokage tower. Naruto covered his face desperately from the wind and force of the blast. His chain of clones bursted instantly in the shockwave of the explosion, as he strained to try and keep his posture. He would have fell then and there, if it were not for the force of the blast thrusting him further into the air.

"T-tsunade... sama..." Naruto uttered through the sheer force of the wind. That's all that could escape, before all went black.

--

Footsteps clacked rythmically down the hall from opposing sides. The Hokage door room had been securely shut and locked, and no one had approached it for weeks. There was much chaos insuing in the village of Konoha, and something had to be done about the 'traitor' that assassinated the Hokage.

Two figures could be seen approaching from either sides of the door. Their open toe'd sandles clacking loudly in the otherwise empty hallway. They made silent eye contact, before turning to open the door to the Hokage's office.

"Ah, you made it..."

Shizune's voice was heard as they entered. She could be seen sitting in the Hokage's seat, cradling her pig softly. Shizune had been demoted since the Hokage's assassination, and was now only thought of as a has-been. The only time she could visit the office of the Kage was when she felt she could sneak in. She was certain that there was something more to the story of the Hokage's death.

"Thanks for coming... I'll get straight to the point." She sighed wearily. The two Chunin listened with close intent, gathering as much information as possible from Shizune's disposition.

"As you both know, The Hokage was killed, and by one of our own no less. I've been shunned from the village for letting the traitor confront the Hokage, and have no authority over any of you... So you can leave, at any time during this request, if you ever feel the need to..." She reminded. She cradled her pig a little harder, bringing a soft low 'oink' from the treasured pet of hers.

"Shikamaru... Neji... I don't think Naruto killed the Hokage."

Neji spoke up smugly at this statement, almost concerned for her own well-being.

"Shizune. You and I both know there is no other explanation. Naruto is unstable, the Kyuubi resides within him. You've seen the results. With so much going on, I wouldn't doubt that he managed to-"

Shizune soon slammed her hand on the table in interuption. Tears were now forming in her eyes, and you could tell that she wasn't as she used to be. Things had changed with her, and she almost seemed like a different person entirely. Shikamaru squinted.

"Please! If you just believe me for one second, I could make sense of this entire aligation!" She switched glances from Shikamaru to Neji, waiting for their reply.

A reply never came.

"Listen you two... I'm not just some witch doctor who may have a completely wild view on the situation. I was the hokage's advisor, and still am! I believe that, the Hokage is still alive! And Naruto wasn't responsible for anyone's death!" She shouted after a few seconds of silence. Shikamaru smirked, placing his hand on his chin in thought.

"You expect us to believe that the Hokage is still alive...?" He looked at Neji for a second, putting himself in Shizune's position. If she was believe in such an assumption, it would give her more power, give her the control she must be craving after being banished from the village. He could tell that she didn't even believe herself.

"Alright... I guess, at the same time I can't believe that 'Naruto' would be able to take out the Hokage, especially with no one hearing or seeing anything. Except for the explosion of course. There are too many holes in your story to believe it however, and it all seems like a wild troublesome goosechase to believe such a story. I don't know about you Neji, but I'm outta here." Shikamaru soon turned for the door, his shadow shimmering slightly behind him.

"Wait." Neji's voice soon halted Shikamaru in his tracks.

"Let's face it, Naruto is a very unstable threat to the village, and something like this was probably bound to happen. But on the off chance that it didn't... Can you give any sound evidence that may prove Naruto's innocence?" Neji traced his glance back at Shizune, who soon threw her eyes to the floor.

The room was dark, and began to feel lonely. She couldn't honestly dig up proof of Naruto's innocence, and she even soon admitted to herself, that she had been lying to them, and to her own consciousness this entire time. Deep inside her, she believed that Naruto had killed the Hokage, but didn't want to admit it. She'd have to be honest, to keep these two chunin's trust.

Shizune sighed.

"I can't, honestly say that I have any proof. It's more of a... gut feeling I guess. I'm not sure what happened to be honest with you. I was hoping, you two could figure that out." Her voice was low, but direct. Shikamaru turned around once more, and placed his hand on his chin.

A smile formed over his face.

"You're really being a drag, you know that Shizune? Now I'm forced to believe what you're telling me... And I guess, for Naruto's sake, I could give it a shot." Shikamaru soon turned to Neji with a cocky smile.

"After all Neji, we owe him... don't we?"

Neji sighed. Apparently, it was unanimous.

"Thank you Shikamaru... Neji..."

--

"His mind seems to be stabalizing."

"His wounds are beginning to heal."

"He's coming back to life..."

"Naruto..."

Small mumbles and muffled voices could be heard through the blackness of his mind. A large ringing fluttered in his ears, and soon he could hear again. His lungs could be felt, rising inside of his chest, filling with air for the first time in weeks. His senses were back online, he could feel his own skin, and the pain that his body was in. His brain began to think, his heart began to beat, and his eyes began to open...

"Naruto."

A combination of red and orange lights filled Naruto's mind. He could now feel the restraints locking his body to a chair. He could feel parts of his body that he couldn't feel before. His lungs heaved out as he took the first real breath since a few weeks ago. His eyes cleared.

"W-what... Where am I?!"

He could see three Anbu standing over him, staring at him as he awoke.

"What's going on, damnit!" Naruto soon yelled. He struggled in his chains, and kicked his restrained feet. It felt as if he had been sleeping for years.

"Naruto, if it had not been for the excessive workings of our best medical team, and the power of the Kyuubi that resides within you, you would have died. You came an inch away from complete death, and you even needed to be killed, in order to be saved. You're lucky the operation was a success..."

"And so are we."

Naruto watched silently as the Anbu turned around and grabbed something off of the desk behind him. He squinted as a small tag was placed on his forehead.

It dangled infront of his eyes, revealing itself to be an exploding note.

"H-h-hey...! W-what're you doing, p-please... dattebayou..." He stuttered as he watched it sizzle.

"The tag will burn slowly, but if you aren't done anwsering our question by the time it reaches its end, we won't put it out."

Naruto looked left and right, suddenly aware that he was somewhere far underground. They almost seemed to be in a cave, red light dimming the area as if this was the last place he'd ever get to see.

"You killed the Hokage, did you not...?"

--

Shikamaru covered his eyes from the staring sun with anguish. It was an unusually hot day, for being in the middle of a forest. Neji sat somewhere near by, contemplating their next step.

"This is completely ridiculuous... It was... simply Naruto's fate to end up in this position. The Kyuubi being sealed in his body ensured that he would lose control one day, thus attacking he even holds close to his heart. You and I are both aware of this, and I have other things to do than chase after something we only 'wish' were true." Neji implied harshly. His eyes were tracing the skies, counting just how much persparation littered the forest wind.

Shikamaru laughed slightly. He had figured the same thing, but at the same time, doubted that there was not more to it. There always was. They had only a few options to go with, that would most likely lead to dead ends. It was as if they were wasting their time.

"S-shikamaru...!"

Shikamaru didn't bother to look. He was beginning to fall asleep in the comfort of the sun's rays. The voice that said his name however sounded different, almost as if it didn't belong to Neji.

"Well well, Sand Shinobi..." Neji soon scoffed.

Shikamaru's eyes shot open, bringing his mind on one subject. He soon turned around and sat up, staring at the beauty he had hopped for.

"T-temari!"

She smiled slightly back at him, but with closer examination, she was no where near happy. Suddenly enough, she threw her arms around Shikamaru in an embrace. Shikamaru stuttered, at a complete loss of what to say. She was crying.

"G-gaara... Konkuro...!" She stammered. Her face was burried in Shikamaru's shoulder, thus muffling her words. Shikamaru rose an eye brow, confused beyond his own understanding.

"W-what happened?" Neji questioned.

"The... Kazekage."

She struggled to regain her composure. You could tell she had been running from someone, or something. You could tell she didn't stop, all the way from the hidden sand village itself. She stammered once more, before backing away from Shikamaru's embrace.

"The kazekage, and Konkuro... Have been assassinated...!"

--

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Naruto could hardly recall what had happened on the roof of the Hokage tower, but one thing was for certain.

"I did inot/i assassinate granny Tsunade!"

The Anbu shook their heads. It was apparent that this entire interrogation would take longer than first presumed. The tag fizzled silently, revealing their lack of time in the situation. They had to gain information, and they had to gain it fast.

"Perhaps he has amnesia?"

"No. No signs indicate anything of the sort, his mind was compeltely unaltered except for the shock. There's no way his memories are lost unless he's repressing them." The first Anbu soon turned to Naruto with a scowl under his mask.

"Tell us then, what happened exactly on top of the tower?"

Naruto scowled. "What does it matter?! You won't believe me anyway. All I can tell you, is that I didn't kill grandma Tsunade! You have to believe me!" He struggled in his chains as he yelled. It was unbelievable. He was betrayed yet again by Konoha, looked at as an outcast that would 'kill the Hokage'. He was being looked at as a monster.

Naruto struggled desperately in his chains.

"Why are you keeping me locked up like this!? I'm not a zoo animal for display... Let me out!"

The Anbu could hardly get another question in with his frantic screaming and struggling. Only one option was being left to them, and they soon began considering it.

"We're going to put you to sleep... In your sleep, you'll reveal exactly what happened on the Hokage tower. It won't hurt, please be still."

Naruto remembered this instantly. The last time they had put him to sleep, he couldn't remember what had happened for weeks. It was as if his mind was turned to mush. He yelled louder than ever. His tempers were rising, and his chakra was flaring. He was beginning to lose control of his own body.

"I'm not an animal! Why the hell won't you believe me?!" Whiskers soon sprouted from his face, and chakra began to flare. Luckily enough, the Anbu prepared for such an occasion.

"There's one tail... You know what to do..."

The other Anbu nodded. Soon another tail flopped in the form of bubbling chakra. The energy rates were increasing at an astonishing level.

"T-there's two tails now, what-"

Another tail sprouted.

"Three"

"No four!"

Naruto jumbled frantically in his restraints. The chains began burning, melting and breaking under the pressure. Naruto's eyes began changing, his skin began peeling. His teeth became sharper as the Anbu could only watch.

"What're we supposed to do in ithis/i situation... Only Kakashi knows how to contain this!"

"No Yomoko does!"

"No it's-"

The chains soon burst from around Naruto at an astonishing speed. Naruto still held sanity, but his anger had risen high enough for him to attack all the same. His hands quickly formed a handseal, as he stared the three Anbu down with murderous intent.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Soon five clones exploded around the Anbu, surrounding them. Each held the appearance of the Kyuubi, four tails fluttering wildly behind them. Thew Anbu rose and withdrew their kunai, ready to fend back this wild nonesense.

The clones soon charged in. Clone number one leapt through the air, only to be sliced open in the stomach by the swift actions of the third Anbu. He ran toward the next, as two more clones rushed toward the first and second Anbu.

The actions were feirce. Naruto could only watch as the Anbu quickly shifted their bodies behind and under the Naruto clones, leaving a trail of sliced skin in their trails. The clones soon bursted, leaving Naruto and a clone to stare at their opponents.

"Rasengan...!"

Naruto soon bent down as the clone worked to create a small ball of chakra. The clone bursted immediately as the Rasengan was formed. He soon thrusted himself forward blindly aiming at any Anbu member he'd be fortunate enough to hit.

From outside, an explosion could be seen erupting from the ground. Naruto's Rasengan flew through the air and soon died down, missing his target's completely.

The Anbu stood silently behind him, holding a kunai securely to his neck. Naruto's chakra had been severely stunted from his time in the hospital, that much was now apparent. Naruto's tails soon withered down to nothing, as he began to lose consciousness.

"Naruto..." One of the Anbu spoke up.

"Is this the murderous intent you used against our lord Hokage? You've anwsered all of our questions."

The explosion note fizzled to the last point.

It was a dud.

--

"What's going on... First the Hokage and now the Kazekage... Something's happening, and it has nothing to do with Naruto..." Shikamaru concluded. Shizune was right, something had happened to the Hokage, but chances were it was the same thing that happened to the Kazekage. and Naruto was no where near the Kazekage. There was finally evidence of Naruto's innocence.

"Yes, but how can we prove it. We need more evidence than this to prove Naruto as innocent." Neji deducted. Shikamaru chuckled.

"You're right, it'd be a drag if our idea was shot down just because of lack of evidence. There has to be a way."

"We'll have to work fast." Neji started... "Chances are, if they decide that Naruto was the one, they'll most likely be planning his execution."

Temari sat on a nearby branch, listening to the conversation silently. She normally wasn't this shaken up, but with what she had saw, her emotions were running high lately.

"I think I know..." Temari spoke up. Neji and Shikamaru glanced at her silently. Her gaze was cast toward the ground.

"I know what's going on. I... don't think... The Hokage or the Kazekage, are dead..."

Shikamaru and Neji wore a somewhat, shocked expression. It was just as Shizune had told them. Was there something they were missing?

"I think I know what you're talking about." Shikamaru sighed. He had deducted the entire scenario in his mind, but couldn't believe it enough to actually say it.

"But if that's the case, we're running out of time. We need to move, now...!"

_**AU: So there it is, the beginning of something totally new. I hope I can give enough to this story that will make any audience I may have return; but oh well if I can't right? I just suck! -Just kidding. I'm good; better than all of ya -**_


	2. Chapter 2

**So as promised, here's the update of my recently entered fanfic! Chapter 2. I had a bit of inspiration in the beginning, then lack of toward the end. Don't blame me if it's a little repetative, I was In an awkward state of mind by the time of the fight. Lol**

**So, try and leave feedback and I'll reward you... A cookie!**

The Art of Betrayal, A Naruto Fan Fiction.

Chapter 2

Temari squinted at the light echo of footsteps pertruding down the hall. She was walking down the cascading hallway before her, glancing left to right, paranoid of the walls around her. She could hear the vitality of her own breath. She quickened her pace and straightened her arms down to her hips in worry. If wounds weren't enough to kill her, maybe her worries were.

She remembered the firm embrace given to her by Shikamaru. Those soft yet reassuring words he whispered caringly into her ear. "Don't worry..." she repeated. Her head lowered slightly as she brought her thumb up to her lip. She realized at that moment, his comfort was what she desired the most.

The halls of the Hokage tower were quite empty for the famous village known as Konoha.

She stopped suddenly at a large door. She could see her own shadow run along the side of it, staring her back in her wavering eyes. She was sent for one purpose, one that needed to be fullfilled. With a slight sigh she turned and pushed open the door, expecting a bit of resistance.

She peered into the empty void of an office. What she saw confirmed her suspicions. The mission had been carried out.

* * *

"Please present your name and ID."

Sakura sighed and dug anxiously in her pocket.

The constant presence of Anbu was beginning to wither on her nerves now'adays. This was confirmed when she scowled angrily at each request for her ID. It was becoming a nuisance.

Although, it could be expected when visiting the large underground prison camp of Konoha. It was there they were holding Naruto captive for reasons beyond their own understanding. Even from there, she could hear him screaming to be let out from somewhere deep in the corridors. He was locked in chain and bars, that much could be told from a distance.

"Don't be long."

Sakura threw an angry glance toward the masked and robed shinobi, before shoving past him and heading further into the cells. It was madness in this area. It was obviously where those who've gone insane were being held for their own protection, awaiting the day to be put down for insubordinance.

Sakura's face lightened into worry as she jogged up to Naruto's cell.

Naruto sat clenching both his hands and teeth in aggravated confusion. Two Anbu stood before his locked bars, staring straight forward as if straight out of a gargoyle fest. Sakura glanced to both of them almost unwillingly before clasping her hands on the bars.

"Naruto... Are you ok?"

The blonde haired Genin jerked his head up with curiousity.

"Sakura! It is you!"

His arms were securely latched behind his back, and bound to the ground by chains. He sat on his knees, sweat matting his forehead and his shirt discarded to a small bench some five feet away from him. He had obviously been the subject of countless Anbu designed Jutsu used to extract information.

Sakura nearly gasped at the sight.

"Don't worry... With Shikamaru and Neji's help, I have a few leads to get you out..."

Naruto smiled at this. His eyes eased from anger to satisfaction as his breathing slowed to a dull roar. He felt comfortable in Sakura's smile, her warming words. His head lowered when she returned his smile with one of her own.

"Sakura-chan..."

* * *

A shadowy figure, draped in black and blood silked robes made his way silently through the trees. His eyes displayed a drowsy aura, expressing his exhaustion. The trees around him bellowed carefully in the gist of the breeze. He grunted as he came to a clearing.

A distant wind gestured silently against the skin of his face, forcing him to squint as he stumbled into an opening. A rather small hill of rock and grass stood before him, below it, a boulder marked securely with a certain tag. Black water rippled under his feet as he progressed further toward this entrance. He could tell from the vague energies cascading from the structure; members of the Akatsuki were near.

Blood droplets dripped silently from his slouching walk. He uttered another grunt as he came to the giant boulder, his eyes hidden in their own shadows.

"I think it's Itachi, let him in!" Tobi expressed with simple minded amusement. He stood crouching on a large upward spike shaped boulder as he peered down to the group. His arms hung between his legs as he tilted his head, his entire figure covered in a deep sensation of shadow.

Kisame inched his head slightly to face the entrance to the cave. Was it true? Had Itachi survived the match with his younger brother?

Konan soon grunted a reply. "...Don't be so hasty. We don't know for sure if..."

"None sense...!" Tobi broke in. His mask had been cracked down the middle, and now hung almost loosely off his face. Yet that could barely be told from the amount of shadow that engulfed him. He outwardly released a small child like chuckle into the room, yet a serious expression stood taped and securely hidden from under his mask.

"Let him in..."

Tobi's vibe was received. Konan almost shuddered at his seriousness. She lowered her glance in acceptance, leaving the leader, Pein to nod and rise his arm toward the boulder.

"We'll let him in."

The boulder cracked loudly in the middle, and began retracting from what seemed like all sides. The figure that stood outside glared in with a strictly crimson eye shade. It was obviously an Uchiha, the last Uchiha apart from Tobi. He grunted and took a wet, bloody step in.

Tobi tilted his head at the sight. Kisame followed Tobi's expression and nearly stuttered a greeting.

"So, Itachi, you finally rid of him?"

"Yes." Came the response.

Kisame laughed in relief and nearly leapt from his sitting position.

He smiled his shark like grin.

"I'd expect nothing less of course. I expect that you made the eye swap with your brother?"

The figure dripped blood from his Akatsuki robe. His crimson eye motioned slowly from one Akatsuki member to the next. He grinned and cocked his head toward Kisame.

"My life's work is complete."

Pein soon chuckled an empty laugh and rose his arm to greet their new guest.

"Of course it is. You succeeded in both the partial destruction of your strongest sensei, and the assassination of your only brother and remaining Uchiha member. Life must be good for you, Uchiha... Sasuke..."

Sasuke's grin bled through the darkness that surrounded him.

By then Tobi appeared next to the last remaining Uchiha, placing his gloved hand on Sasuke's head, as if he were his father. He smiled under the crack of his mask.

"Welcome him to the group. Sasuke's a good boy."

* * *

The roaring passage of wind fluttered Shikamaru's hair restlessly as he leapt from branch to branch. He couldn't help but clench his teeth in his pace.

Neji followed close behind. He eyed Shikamaru curiously from time to time, wondering what could be on his mind. What was Neji missing that Shikamaru had picked up on? He scowled as he took another leap in close pursuit.

"Shikamaru, mind telling me where we're going." Neji huffed from his slight disposition.

Shikamaru bit his thumb at the question. There was no way he could accurately answer him without ruining their position. He cursed slightly and glanced back to his teammate, or lack of.

_Neji... Understand...!_

Neji scowled when he received no answer. He quickened his pace lightly toward the advancing Shikamaru, examining his teammate's expression to the best of his ability.

"Hey, Nara!"

Shikamaru cursed louder, coming to a sudden halt on a nearby branch. He quickly turned to face his teammate Neji, a kunai in hand.

"What the..."

Neji stopped just a few feet in front of the anxious Jounin, clenching his teeth in intense curiosity. Shikamaru huffed. There was no other choice.

It was apparent, Shikamaru presented himself clearly as an enemy.

"Fine by me..." Neji growled. He tensed his muscles in an attempt to move in for an assault, but quickly threw his glance down to his feet when he saw that he couldn't move. His quick suspicions were confirmed.

Shikamaru's shadow stretched beyond its usual limit, constricting itself securely into Neji's own shadow. This technique binded Neji in place, paralyzing him to explicitly mimick any movements Shikamaru made. The Nara smirked in success.

"Shikamaru. I'm at a loss as to why you're doing this, but you underestimate me..."

Shikamaru squinted in struggle for control. He could feel his chakra diminishing by the second, decreasing as he sustained the jutsu more and more. He cursed lightly.

"Neji, wait..."

"It's too late. By striking your chakra points sometime before we departed from Konoha, I was able to securely manipulate the flow of your chakra. I didn't trust you from the start..."

Shikamaru balanced on the heels of his feet, overlooking the bottom of the forest terrain. He concentrated solely on the Hyuuga before him. His deductive reasoning stated explicitly, that there was no way that Neji could be so clueless. He was attacking a teammate, when he didn't fully understand the situation. His exhaustion only increased as he thought. His only hope at this moment would be to trust in Neji not to go 'Naruto' on him... He clenched his fist tightly.

His chakra was almost depleted, and Neji could feel it too. It was time.

"Now! Gentle palm technique; third palm's empty strike!" Neji yelled as he broke instantly from Shikamaru's control. Neji turned and crouched completely at a 360 degree, his left arm pulled back in preparation to strike, while his right arm hung loosely between his two thighs. He smiled and shifted his palm toward Shikamaru.

Shikamaru squinted as Neji soon followed with a long ranged palm blow. His arm was moving at what seemed like the speed of light, yet he only appeared to be striking once. The branch cracked slightly on impact, as Neji continued with a second strike. Shikamaru shielded himself from the mysterious palm thrusts as his branch shook yet again. What was happening?

Neji commenced with his last assault by raising his right hanging arm and striking numerous times in stimulated fashion. The branch shook once more before bursting into hundreds of small wooden shards. Shikamaru widened his eyes at the sudden descent...

He was halted in his fall by Neji's sudden grip. He glanced up with confusion as Neji bent down to hold the Nara up from his seemingly fatal descent. Instead a larger man's yell was heard as the branch disintegrated toward the ground. Shikamaru peered blankly at the falling body of the shinobi. It was evident now; they were being hunted all along.

* * *

"So, that shinobi back there was following us the entire time...? What a drag... And here I thought we were alone."

They sat silently around a crackling fire, the night sky hovering above to greet them. Neji scoffed.

"By the time you turned to attack me, I had figured that you were aware of him. So I played it off and acted as if we were fighting, to catch him off guard. But as we fought, It seemed you had a different motive..." Neji eyed Shikamaru as he took a sip of tea. Shikamaru chuckled and rubbed his slightly soar arm.

"Yeah, I couldn't tell you at the time.. But we were simply trying to leave the leaf Village's vicinity. It's been unnoticed until now, but the leaf village is being spied on."

Neji widened his eyes slightly before quickly returning them to normal. He took a calm sip from the cup and placed it on the ground.

"By most likely the Akatsuki."

Shikamaru nodded.

"I couldn't let them know I was on to them, so I had to keep it a secret from you until we left Konoha's range. In the village, the Akatsuki can hear everything we're saying..."

Neji nearly cursed.

"Who knows what other advantages they have over Konoha, and quite possibly many other countries."

Shikamaru nodded again. It was apparent by now. The Akatsuki were ready to make their move.

"What does this have to do with the Suicide of the Kage?"

Shikamaru rose from his seated position to stretch.

He had a pretty good assumption on most things, yet his seemingly cocky attitude began withering on Neji's nerves. He sighed it off and took another sip of his tea.

"I sense a large portion of chakra headed our way." Neji muttered.

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, I thought we'd need back-up for this. Although, I hope he came alone...

* * *

That word... That name.

It consistently ran through his mind, aching at him as he trekked through unknown terrain. What agony.

The world around him was black. Pitch black to his eyes. He figured the time had finally come. He had expended all of his precious reserve in his recent battle, and concluded that darkness had washed upon his world. He leaned his arm against a tree, staring toward the ground.

"Uchiha... Sasuke... Yondaime..." He uttered lightly.

He was dressed in nothing but a fishnet shirt and tathered trousers. He huffed in heavy fatigue.

"You've left me, with but a few choices..."

**I'm finished! 2 wholes hours of extracting my brain for bits of information... . I sure hope you guys appreciate this! Next update is sometime next week. **


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